The Delhi Police have arrested three members belonging to the ‘Treechi Gang’, who followed a unique modus operandi in stealing bags from cars. With their arrest, police claimed to have solved at least 17 cases of theft. Two stolen laptops, four mobile phones and two wrist watches were recovered from their possession.

The accused, identified as Karthikeyan, P Elango Goel and Shiva Kumar, were allegedly involved in at least 30 cases of theft. They would steal bags from inside cars in south Delhi.

Explaining their modus operandi, police said the gang would scatter some Rs 10 notes outside the targeted vehicle.

“Two of them would request the driver to pick up the money in order to divert his attention. Meanwhile, the third member would lift the bag from inside the vehicle,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Ishwar Singh.

The incident came to light after a complainant approached police saying she was robbed by the gang at Yusuf Sarai Market last week. Police said the woman was about to leave the market in her car when three persons approached her.

“They pointed out Rs 10 notes that were lying on the road. When she was picking up the notes, one of the men stole her bag from the car,” said a senior police officer.

A case was registered at Hauz Khas police station. Police found other cases with a similar modus operandi. Later, police received a tip-off that a gang in the city was involved in lifting bags from cars, following which they caught the accused.

The DCP said the accused hail from Mills Colony in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. They reside in a rented house in Mandawali.